A significant number of child and adolescent psychiatry patients carry special needs and are in the school setting. Their access to appropriate services is guided by public school law. This Workshop provides attendees with a working knowledge of public school law and its applications. The historical evolution of public school law is described. Then, regular education law, special education law, civil rights law, and disability law are compared and contrasted. Attendees gain sufficient knowledge of educational law to make distinctions between legal eligibility for special education and the clinical needs of their patients. Child and adolescent psychiatrists leave with the ability to collaborate constructively with school officials and be effective advocates for the needs of their patients.